My baby, who was nothing but absolutely perfect while I was recovering in the hospital, developed GERD, or acid reflux, shortly after we arrived home. She was miserable, I was miserable. Pretty much the whole family was miserable. When you have a baby suffering from GERD, the whole house suffers. My experience with HELLP taught me to be an advocate for my health. Magnify that times 100 when it comes to one of my kids. I immediately called the pediatrician. I told them I understand the difference between a "happy spitter" and an "unhappy spitter," my baby is not happy and she is in pain. I honestly expected a fight, but I didn't get one. I must've been pretty assertive. They told me to give her a 1/2 teaspoon of Maalox before every feeding for 72 hours and call them back with results. I noticed an immediate change. She was no longer in pain, she didn't scream at all hours, and she we didn't notice her getting the acid coming back up as much as it was. (We could tell when she had the acid coming back up because she would get this horrific look on her face and stick her tongue out). Because of the success she had with the Maalox, she was prescribed Zantac. Always the scholar, I decided to do some research. I found a few success stories with chiropractic care in treating GERD. Right around that time, I was watching a local morning show and a chiropractor performed an adjustment on an infant. When I saw how gentle it was, I decided we should try it. My husband's cousin, who is a chiropractor, sent this website: ICPA 4 Kids, which is the International Pediatric Chiropractor Association. From this site, I was able to search for a chiropractor in our area who specializes in pediatric chiropractor care. There were only 13 in a 25 mile radius of my home. I chose one who was nearby and made an appointment. Baby girl was only six weeks old. Meeting Dr. Lisa instantly calmed any fears I was having, which to be honest, weren't a lot. I've seen a chiropractor before and had great success. After feeling my baby's spine and muscular area in her back, she determined what needed adjusting. She had a little tool called an activator that she used for the adjustment, but before touching my baby with it, she let me, my husband, and even my son, feel it on our arms. It was very gentle, and caused no pain whatsoever. Baby C did not even flinch when she got adjusted. In just a couple of weeks, I really noticed a difference. Having just started the Zantac, however, I didn't know if it was the Zantac or the chiropractor, and I didn't want to take the chance of removing the Zantac quite yet. At her two month appointment, I told the pediatrician that we were seeing a chiropractor and would she recommend trying to wean from the Zantac. She actually told me that they tend to see an increase in acid reflux between 4-6 months and she wouldn't recommend it. She said if I chose to wean from it, that it wouldn't hurt anything if I needed to start it back up again. At around three months of age, I decided to stop giving the night dosage. I didn't see any increase in pain or fussiness. Shortly after, I cut back the morning dosage as well. While cutting back the dosages, Baby C continued to see Dr. Lisa every two-three weeks. By four months, she was completely off the Zantac! We still see Dr. Lisa every few weeks. She said we could come on an as-needed basis, but we've had so much success that I'm not willing to stop just yet.
Besides curing her acid reflux, Dr. Lisa also helped us in other ways. Baby girl was sleeping through the night by two months of age. I'm talking 10-12 hours! My son didn't sleep through the night until he was weaned from the breast, so this was HUGE! I'm personally convinced that this is from getting regular adjustments at the chiropractor. C also had a lot of gas in the beginning and she would grunt constantly in her sleep. Dr. Lisa suggested I start taking probiotics and that would pass to her through the breast milk. She was very clear in the type of acidophilus that I needed to take; the kind with live bacteria that is kept refrigerated. I was able to purchase it from Whole Foods. This enabled the baby to start passing the gas more easily, and again, was in no pain. I don't think I could ever speak highly enough about how much Dr. Lisa has helped our family. If your baby is suffering from GERD or acid reflux, I highly suggest finding an ICPA chiropractor!
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